New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-07-24
RUSSIAN RELIGION.
THE FAILURE OF A STATE CHURCH.


TIE RUSSIAN CHURCH AND RUSSIAN DISSENT.
Comprising ORTHODOXY Dissent and ErSe ss cr Rr Sy
sia at Shanghai Crown svo PIP TX, $40. harper
Brothers.
Mr. Heard informs us that he has endeavored In
this volume to supply the want of account OF the
religion of Russia written "without any pretence
of theological eruditon." 1t would not have
occurred to us that the lack of theological eudtion
was specially desirable qualification in church
historian, or that one who writes for "the general
reader ought not to know too much about his sub
ject. But Mr.. Heard's performance is bettar than
his pron,ise The historical portion OF his book
might indeed have been improved by closer STUDY
of ecclesiastical authorities and more exact ap-
probation of doctripa controversies; out no gives
a GOOD outline of the external history OF tue churcn
and when he comes to an account Oh the Proseh'
condition of religion in the Russian empire MS chap
ters are in the highest degree interesting ana sug
pestiye Although the Russian people are not IN
aptly described as intensely religious there Is
very remarkable defect OF religious spirit In the his
torv Of their church as it appears IN Mr.. Heard's
summary. That organization derived from the
Creek schism of which it was the offspring a dispu-
Acknowledgment care for subtitle trifes rigid FORM
ai.m an exaggerated regard for ritual and it soon
added to the common oriental faings some unde-
sirable characteristics resulting from the peculiar
circumstances Of the Russian people. 10 great
extent the people had embraced Christianity not
from conviction but in obedience to the commands
of their Iulers- willingly enough, because conform
ity seemed 20 be political duty, but with very
imperfect apprehension of the spiritual meaning OF
the new faith and with a lingering attachment to
pagan supersttions and TO pagan ways of thought
The evil consequent upon this state OF the popular
mind was aggravated by the false relations OF the
civil and ecclesiastical authorities. Bishops, metro
rolitans patriarchs were set up and put down by
tho head of the state if they were only the pup
nets of the palace. They claimed divine commits
SION transmitted from the apostles by an unbroken
episcopal line but they looked to the secular arm
to raise them to office, and snatched the mftre from
the head of rival who stood in their way they
counted upon intrigue, corruption, falsehood
treachery and violence to control the choice OF the
Holy Ghost. In the whole story of the growth OF
the Russian church there is a most astonishing alb
sepce of the religious element. There must have
been a great deal of individual piety and unselfish-
ness but the church as body has presented even
from its youth the aspect of an efete religion
which keeps its forms. its dignites, and its ambi-
ton after it has lost its moral uses.
Owing to the state all its power and wealth, the
church became a powerful representative of Rus
sian nationasm aud in that way commended itself
to one uf the strongest feelings in the pop lar
breast Tho vigor of lis patriotism often M de
partial amends for the feebleness OF its spiritual
aspirations. But the very sentiment which made
IL hostile to all foreign connections made 1t also
domestic slave. and helped to fix its condition as
subordinate agent of political government 1t had
been pretty generally secularized in spirit when
Peter the Great completed its degradation by abol-
ishing the patrarchate. and committing the govern
ment of the church to a Synod which was in reality
only a bureau of the imperial administration In
his PRONUNCIATION of this measure the Car declared
with curious rankness, that it seemed dangerous
to the country to permit spiritual ruler to share
authority which belonged exclusively to the auto
crat and to persuade the common peoplc that the
spiritual power is that of another and better
realm: in case of any difference between the patti
arch and the Czal, il might even happen that the
people would take the part of the patriarch
Peters principles accepted, the present condi-
ton of the church followed naturally. The Synod
has lost what little show of power it once enjoyed
and now meets only to register without debate. the
regulations and decisions prepared by the imperial
lay procurator, who is generally military officer
The debasement of the clergy under such system is
inevitable The monks, from whom the bishops aud
other dignitaries are selected, better educated
than the sin pie priests. but monasticism in Rus
STA has always teen life of slOth and sel6shness
unite Indifferent to the works of charity, education
and preaching which have occupied many of the
orders in the Latin church. The character of the
secular clergy is contemplate when 1T is not vile
The higher classes do not associate with them and
the peasantry quarrel with them over the price Of
prayers aud sacraments and hate them as rapa
cious horde of government .tunctionares. Neither
branch of the clergy seems to exercise any spirit
ual influence whatever.
The effect oe the unfaithfulness OF the Church to
ITS sacred mission has been to promote scepticism
at end of the social scale and fanatc:sm at the
other. The upper classes imported uncelief along
with other foreign fashions from Western Europe,
aud with them atheism is at least as common as
Christianity The national church in their eyes is
only branch of the police and it offers nothing to
satisfy the modern spirit of inquiry or to fit the
new problems of life Atheism, however, which is
the child of intellectual pride does not readily OBJ
tain foothold among an ignorant peasantry. The
tendency of ignorance is always toward excessive
creduliry, and the Russian masses have chidike
yearuing for the mysterious and the su pc natural
Hence while they have little respect for the clergy
as moral instructors they are prone to attribute an
almost magl cal efficacy to rites and ceremonies, and
an immense importance to tho mechanism OF wor-
ship in which the devotional impulse seems to have
little share. The church has remarkable hold up
on them, and yet the most sanguine would hardly
reckon it as an influence in the government of life
But there are millions of the common people for
whose emotional demands fossiized ceremonial
religion, even with supersttious additions makes
no provision and thus it happens that in spite of
the conservatism of the lower classes dissenting
sects of the most extravagant character prevail In
Russia to an enormous extent The conservative
instinct in fact almost always has considera Die
influence upon their origin. The scctaries profess
to DC the Old Believers" sauaring their creed and
conduct by the ancient standards, and they include
the most reactionary and obstnately unprogressive
of the peoples but as the widest license of in
dividual opinionis applied to the determination of
what the primitive belief was. this conservatism
does the least interfere with the development
of monstrops novelties The principal forms Of dis
sent are known collectively as tho Rasko, or the
Schism and they embrace q great variety of
heen aimed with